Can seaming machine



March 6, 1956 F. w. DUHAN CAN SEAMING MACHINE '7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 8, 1951 INVENTk )K M flpderc'ckwflllhan,

March 1956 F. w. DUHAN CAN SEAMING MACHINE '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

BY 1? dejcZcW ha g 7 r 21/ gm ,9

ATTORNEYS.

March 6, 1956 F. w. DUHAN CAN SEAMING MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed NOV. 8, 1951 INVENTOR.

lagedez cck W.D,uhan BY %MZMMQ 99m? ATTORNEYS.

March 1956 F. w. DUHAN 2,737,137

CAN SEAMING MACHINE Filed Nov. 8, 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Big- M1115 WI;

INVENTOR.

.Fifldezjclc WD uhan ATTORNEYS,

March 1956 F. w. DUHAN 2,737,137

CAN SEAMING MACHINE Filed Nov. 8, 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 I INVENTOR.

Ed W K g I igging Duhan,

Filed Nov. 8, 1951 AIR F. W. DUHAN 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 [II I1 42 i i i 24 V 1\ f; W' H wil i 22 i INVENTOR:

BY EydeycIcWDyhan,

ATTORNEYISM March 1956 F. w. DUHAN CAN SEAMING MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed NOV. 8, 1951 3 J r 5 .l E (a, //4 7 w 4 4 x x INVENTOR.

BY ',eder 'ckwflzhan, W,

2537,13? swim; MAGHINES support for-the shafts of theleyer armsof each seamin'g r ller, the 3 can seaming machine has a sturdy ponstruc enfiq s hsr Wiih:.9 P?I. S f fifilc i nhin portant where-spaCfin a. canning factory-:must be utilizedto its 5 greatest extent.

A further. objetpf the invention; is the provisiomof; concentric, telescoping bearingsand shafts'zof the lever aims h et ng} ra lsrst n t amms be r z urh porti This provision; aswell as conserving space; :allows all v'parts 'needed inseaining a can cover to acanbody be assembled one separate and compact1;s eaming head .c'asiii g .i Thus, the seaminghead casingmay; be lief; placedort changed as a unit when the machine is being conve e'dffor differentsize cans or .;when v ewseaminghea .nefede'cliwithout an appreciable loss intirne; A rfolbje'c' t of the inventionis-toprovid brakingand removed lfiomf1heniachine and prioigto the feeding filled '1 can liodyf'onto, the chuck. he braking. t

is 'fdinto thel t i f vo tw jqt the freely rotating knockout pad'shaft in me? that maximum performaner'nay b e'obtair'iedi ,7 I

These and o'therobjects ofthe iqvemian-wiltapp ar rnbreaarly from the accompanying 'drafwings mwhr h;: H -s e 1 we" -'h rizontal sectional".view' take'rijl'o'tij. line's n gbpspi11ing its contents ,when i 2,737,137 i atented 6, 1 956 a a 2 Figure; 8.;is; ,a, f ragmental sectional view taken on the line; 13:8of, Figure; 7. v

Figure 9 .is', a' fragmental end view direction of the arrow 9 ofjFigure 7. t.

Figure l'QfiSY an enlarged vertical sectionaliview of" the lower. chuckvassen bly as illustrated, in' Figure 1.

Figure 11 is a rightside elevation fFigurelOV v looking into the Figure' l jis an enlarged vertical sectional view ofth clischa rge station h A gine 1 3 is a fr agrnental plan view of Figure 12'.

fgure l lt is a fragmental sectional view of a modified seamingheadg V H, n thepreterre'd embodiment of the invention; asshown rawings,' th e can seaming machine is ofthettyp'e body and can end are united by rotating" st a first operation seaming ;.roller and a-. sec-' tron seaming roller. Asdistinguished from r and-more cumbersome seaming machines, where theseaming rol lers are rotated about a stationaryvca'n' body and can end, the present machine'is more'efficient';

stu rd d compact A faster seaming of can' bodies'to can-en I" obtained withoutthe danger of Jspilling; the t nt fiupd a i p -t a .t s are fed frorn a filling; table orucan fil g rriachine byg any of the convntionalmeans such 1 5. 0 chain lin .-,typci o on yor or the ii il f; e/3n. amin ma ne: me,: can endsare ied from a can; end ao t-h i n my: p di g o r tt f fl tt s SPi LN 241 195 file 0 1951,,td astation where they are transferred 7 ed" can bo res. This station may be just i o 'it 5 I a qn- 1 1 h? ca ea n theinfeeii station of the can seanli ng ma bodiesl a'nd their respective can ends are "td a chuck carried by a lower' rotating sembly, ,Ihe chuck will then raise, vertically d n ca i tlfi s se he can cliani'sni; where the seaming operation takes 'rjthe "n body has been united vwith the can v v an'sjupportingcliuck will then lower andthe ll be trail .tlfd. frorn the .can seaming; machine 1, the like which will convey the can to blelabel ng and/or ca'singtmachine .7

a i fi t r r n wh rei li ce numerals represent like or. similar in machine is. comprised of asta; p tlng frame 10Tandllower and upper rotat "t fe 1; ha-'14 i s iv T f wb n 1 91 "1'2 and 14 are; suitably, mountedin bear; v n vvitliire's pect to the stationary supporting d aresplinedior keyd to avertical central rigshaft 16 and thus the" lower and upper rotating turret assemblies will rotate at, the same speed. K eyed I we" en qfthef'sliatt 16 is a drive gear 18 which 111 e'dn've'nfby any suitable source of power stili jetribinototbfthe' like" (not' sno'wn), 7 g ain'g turret assembly lzwhich' is splined rtical vv sl iaft i carries a plurality of. lower chuckf H "()flfof'supporting the'can bodies duringthe sa fr'iing operati As shown in detailflin Fig'uresYlO,

' and ll the lower h'uck assembly 20 comprisesabase cl tf'supporting member' 22' and a freely rotating 24: i

arrears? by means of the bolt 30 and nut 32. The roller 28 is adapted to cooperate with the circumferential cam 34 mounted on the stationary supporting frame 10. The cam 34 is designed to impart vertical movement to the chuck assembly during the seaming cycle since the can bodies must be raised to engage the can seaming mechanism 36 carried in the upper turret 14.

Carried on the upper portion of the base member 22 of the lower chuck assembly 20 is a freely rotating chuck 24. The freely rotating chuck 24 is mounted in the floating bearing 38 and the roller bearing 40. Any suitable platform 42 may be fixed to the chuck 24 for receiving the filled can bodies from the infeed station 44. In addition to the chuck 24 being freely rotatable with respect to the base member 22 and the lower turret 12, the chuck is also resiliently mounted in the base member 22. The purpose of resiliently mounting the chuck 24 is obvious in that the can seaming mechanism 36 will not be damaged should the conditions arise where a larger size can is inadvertently fed into a machine or a can is tipped on the platform 42. The resilient means of mounting the chuck 24 in the base member 22 comprises a heavy coil spring 46 mounted between the floating bearing 38 and a shoulder 48 of the base member 22. A cylindrical shield 50 fastened to the chuck 24 will protect the bearing and moving parts of the chuck assembly 20 from dirt and foreign matter of any kind. Another purpose of the coil spring 46 is that it acts to cushion the vertical movement of the can body on the chuck assembly 20 when the can body is raised into engagement with the can seaming mechanism 36.

Bolted to the lower turret assembly by means of the bolts 54 is a radially extending flange 56. A plurality of pockets or arcuate shaped cutouts 58 are provided in the periphery of the circumferential flange 56 for reception of the freely rotatable chucks 24. One pocket is provided for each chuck 24. Since the chuck 24 will rotate when a can body is raised into engagement with the upper rotating seaming chuck member 64, it is desirable to have means for braking this rotation after the can is lowered and discharged and before another filled can body is transferred into position, as rotation of the chuck 24 at the infeed station 44 will cause tipping and spilling of the filled can body. Braking action of the rotatable lower chuck is obtained by making the depression in the cam 34 lower than is normally necessary to lower the chuck assembly 20. This lower depression in the cam 34 is made between the discharge station 62 and the infeed station 44 and thus between these points, the bottom surface of the platform 42 will frictionally engage the surface of the flange 56. This frictional engagement will stop rotation of the freely rotatable chuck 24 and will allow another can body to be fed safely into the machine. The surfaces of the flange 56 and the platform 42 may be covered with any of the known braking materials such as rubber, neoprene, cork composition or the like.

The upper turret 14 which is also splined or keyed to the vertical drive shaft 16 carries the seaming mechanism 36 for uniting the can ends to the filled can bodies. Included in the seaming mechanism 36 are a plurality of positively rotating chuck members 64 and a plurality of seaming heads 66. A single seaming head 66 and a rotating chuck member 64 are provided on the upper turret for cooperating with each lower chuck 24.

Since the can seaming machine is of the type wherein a first operation seaming roller 68 and a second operation seaming roller 74) are used in seaming the can end to the filled can body, means must be provided for rotating the can end and can body at a high speed. Positively driven rotating chuck members 64 are provided for rotating the can ends and filled can bodies on the lower chucks 24. The can ends and can bodies are fed onto chucks 24 of the lower rotating turret and are raised into position to engage the upper or positive driven rotating 4 chuck members 64 carried by the upper rotating turret 14 and the pressure of the upper chuck members 64 on the can end and body units will cause them to rotate as the turrets rotate. The upper rotating chuck members 64 are carried in a housing 72 bolted or secured to upper rotating turret 14. As best shown in Figure 2, the chuck member 64 includes a rotating head or chuck 74, attached to a hollow shaft 76 which rotates in the bearings 78 mounted in the housing 72. Gear teeth 80 are provided on the upper end of the shaft 76 and are adapted to engage a circumferential gear track 82, carried by the stationary supporting frame 10. Thus it is easily seen that when the upper turret 14 rotates carrying with it the chuck member 64, the gear teeth 80 (Fig. 2) will engage the track 82 (Fig. 1) and will rotate the chuck member 64.

The chuck member 64 carries a knockout shaft 86 within the hollow shaft 76 which is adapted to move vertically downward at the end of the can seaming operation in order to disengage the can from the chuck 74. The upper end of the knockout shaft 86 is mounted in bearings 87 supported in a piston assembly 89 which will move vertically in the housing member 72. A compression spring 91 mounted between a plug 95 in the piston assembly and the bearings 87 allows for any needed cushioning effect of the knockout shaft and also translate vertical movement to the knockout shaft 86. A roller is mounted on the piston assembly 89 and cooperates with the cam track 83 supported on the stationary frame 10. The cam track 83 will thus impart vertical movement to the knockout shaft 86 through the cam follower or roller 85, piston assembly 89,. the compression spring 91 and the bearings 87.

The lower end of the knockout shaft 86 has a knockout pad 84 mounted thereto for engagement with the can top. Since the knockout pad 84 will engage the top of the can while the can is rotating, the knockout pad 84 and shaft 86 will also rotate. It is highly desirable to stop rotation of the knockout pad 84 and shaft 86 before another filled can body is fed into position, therefore braking means for the shaft 86 are provided. Mounted in the housing 72 is a frictionally engaging brake assembly 88 shown in Figures 2, 7, 8 and 9. The brake assembly 88 consists of a spring loaded plunger 90 which is actuated by a cam segment 92 (Figure I) mounted on the stationary supporting frame 10 for frictionally engaging the knockout shaft 86. The plunger 90 is hollow and has an elongated slot 94 mounted in its walls for receiving the pin 96. The pin'96 carries the cam follower 98 which engages the cam segment 92. When the cam segment 92 is engaged by the cam follower 98, the pin 96 is carried inwardly and the spring is compressed. This causes the plunger 90 to engage the knockout shaft 86. At this point further inward movement of the cam follower 98 will compress the spring 102 and the braking action will occur. After the cam follower 98 passes the high point on the cam segment 96, the springs 100 and 102 will return the plunger 90 to the disengaged position. Because of the compensating springs 100 and 102, the brake assembly 88 will compensate for wear of the plunger 90.

The housing 72 mounted on the upper turret 14 carries the bearing supports 11 for each of the can seaming heads 66 as well as housing the upper seaming chuck assemblies 64 and the knockout pads 84 and shafts 86. In this type of can seaming machine, it is only necessary to have two seaming rollers in each seaming head to perform the seaming operation. The first seaming roller bends the periphery of the can end over the top of the can body while the second seaming roller completes the operation of seaming the can end to the can body. It is important that the seaming rollers be sturdily supported for engagement with the can ends and body so that a uniform seal may be obtained and it is also equally important that the support be compact without a loss of rigidity. Therefore, in the present invention a bearing support 11 is provided for supporting greats? is th'th 'f'firs't' operationseaming returns are thefse'co'nd iilira"t'ion' seaming roller 70. "Since each seamin head .is identical, only 'ofiewin be described.

Referring specifically to Figures 3, .4, "5 and '16, "each 'ithebearihg support'11. v Suitable bearings 21 are provided betw'e'n the shaft1'9and the housing member 72 in order "that the shaftiIS imay 'rota'teand thus impart arcuate movemerittothesearhing'roller' 68. The. shaft 23 ofthe lever arm-111s" solid and is'adapitd to telescope with the hollow ish -ftf19. Bearings'ZS' are provided between -.the shafts 1 9 a (123 "5 that thesliaft 23 mayiimpart arcuate movement t I the roller '70. 'O ring s 27 and-29 lock theshafts 19 'an'd"23 ie'spetivelywithinthe bearing support 11, It is thus seen that there is a common bearing'support 11 for the beatings 21 and andshafts fi an d 23 which support the lever arms lS and -17 'of the firstandsecond seaming rollers 68 and 70 respectively. Itmight also. be well to 'Tn'ote that'the bearings'21'arid2'5 and the shafts 19 and 23 telescop'an'd'are'concntfic' with each other. Th'is feature "insures rigidity as well asc'ompactness ofdesign' and allows L'the'iseaming heads'tobe mounted closer together.

I "Extending radially from'the axis of the shafts19 and 23 arecamarms 31 and'33 respectively. At end of each ""of the'camiarmsiil and '33 are mounted cam follower jrollers 35"and"37which cooperate with the cam tracks "'39 and 41 respectively, carried by the stationary supportifig'frame ll. The cam tracks '39.and'41 impart angular movement"to the can seaming roller-s68 and 70respetively through the rollers, cam arms, shafts and lever arms. The cams will thus bring the seaming rollers 68 and 70 into engagement with the can end and can body when the seaming operation begins.

For most sizes of cans, the rollers 68 and 70 need not be positively driven as the rotation of the can and the chuck member 64 is sufiicient to impart rotation to the seaming rollers. However, when seaming a small diameter can, the can end has a tendency to slip around the chuck member 64 and the seaming rollers 68 and 70 and to overcome this objection, positively driven seaming rollers are provided. Figure 14 discloses the modified form of seaming rollers having a positive drive. Since the drive for seaming rollers 68 and 70 is the same, only the drive for roller 68 is disclosed in the drawings. Mounted on the upper portion of the seaming roller 68 is a gear 112 which will mesh with a gear 110 carried by the positively driven chuck member 64, when the seaming head 66 is in the seaming position. Since the chuck member 64 is positively driven, as previously explained in specification, it will in turn drive the rollers 68 and 70 and there will be no slippage of the can end. As is shown in Figure 14, the teeth of gears 110 and 112 are long and, consequently, have suflicient working depth to permit the gears to remain in mesh when the seaming rollers are in inoperative position.

An adjustment of angular relation between the cam arms and the lever arms of the seaming rollers is provided. Since this adjustment is the same with respect to each seaming roller and its corresponding cam arm, only one will be herein described. As best shown in Figures 4 and 5, an adjustment screw 43, having an Allen type head and a gauge or indicator 45 thereon, is mounted in the cam arm 31. The threads 47 of the screw 43 are adapted to engage a spline 49 on the shaft 19. Movement of the screw 43 in either direction will adjust the angle between the cam arm 31 and the lever arm 15 which carries the seaming roller 68. The screw is then locked in place by means of the nut 51 and the angle will remain constant. Since different diameter cans may be used in a days operationjit is-necessary that this adjustment-maybe quickly and efliciently ma'de. N

"As is apparent from the preceding description, thesearning head 66 maybe replaced as a unit from themachine ifa'ne'w seaming head is desired or cans of a different height are to be used since the seaming head is" merely bolted t'othe housing 72'of the upper turret assembly'14.

After a can is closed it must be discharged from' the can' seaming machine to a conveyor which will transfer it to thenext phase of ca nning operation whichm ayfb'e labeling and/ or casing the cans. At the discharge station "62 there is provided adischarge mechanism 53 which'is best shown in Figures 12 and 13. This mechanism consists ofa rotating shaft 5 5 having a star wheel 57 mounted on its upper end and-a gear 59 keyed to' its low'erfend. Theshaft "is supported for'rotation in bearingsff61 mounted in the stationary supporting frame 10. The gear 59meshes withthedrive'gear 18' and thus drives thedischarge star wheel in timed relationship with "the lower turret assembly 12. ,"Whena can reaches thedischarge "station it is swept'o'if thechuck24 and onto an outfeed conveyor (not shown) by means of the star'wheel The" terminology used in the specification is for the purpose of description and not for limitations,'as thescope of the invention is defined in the claims.

Iclaim: r "1. Ina'seaming head, a housing, a hollow rotatable chuck carried by said housing, a first operation seaming 'roller'an'd a second operation seaming roller carried'in said housing'adjacent to said chuck, a freely rotatable "knockoutlshaft axially mounted within saidrotating chuck, brakerneansoperativelyassociated'with said freely rotata- "bleknbckoutshaftfor 'stopping rotation of the same, said brake means including a cam segment, a resiliently mounted plunger carried by said housing adjacent said knockout shaft for frictional engagement with said knockout shaft when operated by said cam segment.

2. In a seaming head, a housing, a rotatable chuck carried by said housing, a first operation seaming roller and a second operation seaming roller mounted adjacent said rotating chuck, means for mounting said first operation seaming roller and said second operation seaming roller on the same pivotal axis and for independent movement, said means including a bearing support mounted in said housing, a pair of concentric telescoping shafts supported in said bearing support, a lever arm extending radially from the lower end of each shaft and supporting one of said seaming rollers, an arm extending radially from the upper end of each of said shafts, cam followers mounted on each of said upper arms, and cam means cooperating with each of said cam followers whereby said first operation seaming roller and said second operation seaming roller are moved independently into and out of seaming position.

3. In a seaming head of the type in claim 2 wherein said arms supporting the cam followers are adjustable radially to the radial extending lever arms whereby relative independent movement of the seaming rollers is changed.

4. In a can closing machine for seaming a can end on a can body, an infeed station and a discharge station, a supporting frame, upper and lower rotating turrets carried in said frame, a seaming mechanism carried by said upper turret, a plurality of freely rotatable can body and can end supporting chucks mounted in said lower turret for receiving the can end and can body from said infeed station and vertically raising the same into engagement with said can seaming mechanism, said seaming mechanism including a housing, a plurality of rotating chucks mounted in said housing for rotating the can end and can body, first and second operation seaming rollers mounted adjacetn to each of said chucks, a freely rotatable knockout shaft axially mounted within each of said rotating chucks, each of said knockout shafts being reciprocated with respect to its rotating chuck for disengaging the can end and can body after a seaming operation, brake means mounted on said housing and engaging and stopping rotation of said knockout shafts after the can end and body have been ejected therefrom, and brake means to stop rotation of said freely rotatable can body supporting chucks when the can body and can end have been transferred to the discharge station.

5. A can closing machine of the character described in claim 4 wherein said brake means for stopping rotation of a plurality of freely rotatable can body supporting chucks carried by said lower turret, a seaming mechanism carried by said upper turret, said seaming mechanism comprising a housing, a plurality of rotating chucks mounted in said housing for rotating a can body and a can end, first and second operation seaming rollers adjacent each of said chucks, means in said housing for mounting said first and second operation seaming rollers on the same pivotal axis and for independent movement into an operating position, said means including a bearing support and concentric telescoping bearings carried in said support, a pair of concentric telescoping shafts mounted in said bearings and having lever arms extending radially from the lower ends thereof for supporting said first and second operation rollers respectively, a pair of cam tracks carried in said stationary supporting frame and surrounding said seaming mechanism, arms extending radially from the upper ends of each of said shafts, and cam followers mounted on said arms for cooperation with said cam track to move said first and second operation rollers independently into and out of operating position.

7. In a seaming head, a housing, a positively'driven rotating chuck carried by said housing, a first operation seaming roller and a second operation seaming roller mounted in said housing on a common pivotal axis independent of each other and adjacent to said chuck, means operatively connected to each of said seaming rollers for independently moving said seaming rollers into and out of seaming position, a second means for positively driving said seaming rollers, said second means comprising a long tooth gear carried on the periphery of said seaming rollers which meshes with a gear mounted on said positively driven rotating chuck, said long tooth gears on said seaming rollers and said chuck remaining in meshing engagement throughout relative movement of said seaming rollers with said chuck.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

